Many people consider Christmastime to be the highlight of their year, and, really, for understandable reasons; out of all of the holidays we collectively celebrate in a given calendar year, Christmas seems to take the cake in terms of celebrations, decorations, festivities and events compared to any other holiday or special occasion.
I was chatting with my mom recently about what our own family has planned for Christmas. We are fortunate in the sense we don’t really have to travel lengthy distances to see family, and we only really have a couple of days that are entirely booked with dinners and gift exchanges.
Our conversation encouraged me to consider how many people feel tremendous amounts of stress during the Holidays, and while this occurrence is certainly nothing new, its prominence doesn’t make its effect any less unfortunate. I always consider how so many people arguably feel completely burnt out by the time all of the Christmas affairs have concluded, and personally, I don’t believe this captures the essence of Christmas and the joy it should bring.
I can’t help but wonder how many people would benefit from simply saying no to a few things over the course of the Holidays. Without sounding callous or cold, you don’t necessarily have to attend each and every event you’re asked to go to, especially if going means you’re going to experience unnecessary stress. I’m not suggesting to Scrooge it and not go to a single thing, because that wouldn’t be right, either. But, if you can try and find a middle ground in all of the Christmas chaos and learn to say no to the odd thing, it is quite probable that you’ll find yourself feeling more relaxed and at peace than ever before during the Holidays.
Christmas should not be stressful, so try and determine some ways you can alleviate feeling overwhelmed.
Photo by Nathan Lemon on Unsplash
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